Advanced Level, Block 1—Result of Fall
Week 9
Noah’s Family Building the Ark
Point to Emphasize: We should stand firm with our parents in the household of God, knowing that we live a different life than others.
Reference Reading: Genesis 6:13—7:22; Hebrews 11:7; Life-study of Genesis, msgs. 28-29
Memory Verse: …Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58b)
Story Sample
Last week we saw that the man that God created, the man that God had been so happy with, became corrupted and evil. God even repented that He had made man. Now, what would God do? Well, there were two outcomes. First, God judged the earth. He is a righteous God and could not let this evil continue. He decided to judge the earth to clear up the entire situation. He would send a huge flood to destroy the whole earth. God needed to judge what was wrong.
The second outcome was that God saved one family. God rewards what is right. Noah was right before God and his family was the only one living according to God’s way. So, God provided a way for this family to be preserved. God did not want to judge all the others on the earth, but there was the problem of God being forsaken, just like we learned about with Cain. Those on the earth at that time had also forsaken God and were like Cain. They would not repent of their evil way, and God desired a new start.
In order to have a new start, God needed a man to help prepare the way. He needed someone righteous and just, not one like all those corrupted evil ones. God found this man named Noah. Noah was the 10th descendant in the line of Adam. He followed in the godly way of his forefathers, and he raised his family in the same way. His parents and grandparents taught him the things of God, and he realized that he needed God’s grace. Because of this, Noah was a man who was pleasing to God. God chose Noah and his family for a unique project to rescue the situation on the earth at that time. Noah’s wife and sons stood firm together with him as one family for God’s purpose.
This project was to build an ark that would pass through a huge flood. Noah worked on the ark, according to God’s plan, for 120 years. He was in the midst of a crooked and perverse people. These people didn’t like what Noah was doing. They made fun of him and laughed at him and said he was ridiculous for building a big boat and saying that a flood would come.
Noah’s wife, his sons, and their wives were also with him building the ark. Now, what if you were one of Noah’s sons? I know two boys who would go with their dad to every conference while he would set up the audio/visual in his office – waiting and waiting, rather than being outside playing with their friends. Often they complained, but as they grew older, they realized that they could jump in and help too. [Storyteller, use your example – e.g., setting up chairs, cleaning or help setting up for a love feast.]
As you see your parents following God, in the household of God, you will see them living a life that is different from others. It might be little things like going to meetings, cleaning the meeting hall or preparing food for others. Or it might be a big thing, like moving to another place to serve the Lord. What will our view of these things be? Will we be like Noah’s family, who stood firm with him as he faithfully built the ark?
[Have a discussion with the children about ways they might stand firm with their parents as they follow the Lord in the small, practical ways (like all the zoom meetings, setting up chairs, etc.)]